Autumn is a magical time to discover San Diego’s East County, when the foliage of the rolling foothills and mountains change color and temperatures dip ever so slightly to put visitors in a fall frame of mind. The change of seasons is pronounced by festive annual traditions like Oktoberfest and a Native-American Pow Wow, as well as seasonal grape and apple harvests that attract visitors from far and near to sample luscious wines and delicious homemade apple pies, ciders and jams. 

Following are some of East County’s most notable annual fall events.

AMERICAN TO THE CORE

• A San Diego tradition “as American as apple pie” is the popular Annual Julian Fall Apple Harvest, Sept. 15 – Nov. 15, celebrating this historic mountain town’s famous homemade apple pies and ciders. Visitors can also enjoy acres of colorful fall foliage, apple picking in local orchards, charming bed and breakfast inns, art shows, quaint antique shops and live entertainment.
• The Julian Apple Days Festival on Oct. 1-2 at Menghini Winery features music and dancing, children’s games and activities, gold panning demonstrations, a beer and wine garden, food and merchandise vendors, apple-related contests, the coronation of Mr. and Mrs. Apple Days and, of course, Julian’s famous apple pies.

VINE TIME

• Julian Grape Stomp Festa takes place on Sept. 3 at the Menghini Winery in Julian. The quaint country town celebrates the bountiful grape harvest with an authentic Old World-style grape stomp and festa with live music, food and wine.

DESERT DELIGHT

• The cooler desert temperatures and vast landscape welcome visitors to the 46th Annual Borrego Days Desert Festival, Oct. 21-23, in Borrego Springs, East County’s desert oasis town. Themed “California’s Secret Desert,” the celebration includes a parade, the Miss Borrego pageant, dance parties, live music, arts and crafts exhibitions and more.

PARADES & FESTIVALS

• The popular annual Viejas Days Parade and Festival takes place on Sept. 25, celebrating the community spirit of Alpine. The day-long celebration features fun for the whole family, including a kids and craft fair.
• On Nov. 20, the 65th Annual Mother Goose Parade, the largest parade in San Diego County, brings crowds of spectators to the city streets of El Cajon. The parade kicks-off the winter holiday season and features whimsical floats, clowns, bands, equestrians and celebrity appearances.
• Bratwurst, beer gardens and oompah bands can only mean one thing - Oktoberfest! A number of communities throughout San Diego County celebrate this traditional German holiday, but Oktoberfest in La Mesa, Oct. 1-2, and Oktoberfest in El Cajon, Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 and Oct. 7-9, are two of the largest festivals of their kind on the U.S. West Coast. Visitors can enjoy dancing, food, Bavarian bands and hundreds of crafts and commercial booths along La Mesa Boulevard in La Mesa and Mollison Avenue in El Cajon.

VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS

• The Julian Art Guild Fall Art Show takes place on September 2-5 at the Julian Town Hall, showcasing the area’s world-class artists and craftsmen specializing in sculpture, watercolor and oil painting, pottery, jewelry, stained glass, woodworking and more.
• Visitors are in for some toe-tappin’ fun during the 41st Annual Backcountry Music Jamboree & Banjo, Fiddle Contest on September 17-18 at Frank Lane Park in Julian. The oldest bluegrass festival in California features performances by blues, bluegrass, country, western and mountain bands, plus lively banjo and fiddle playing contests.
• The 55th Annual Julian Melodrama, an old-fashioned comedy-melodrama set in the 1890s and loosely based on the history of Julian, is presented every weekend throughout October at the Julian Town Hall. Audiences are encouraged to participate by cheering on the hero, booing the villain and crying “awwww” for the sweet heroine. A variety show between acts features a choral group and junior cancan dancers.

INDIAN SUMMER

• The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation presents the 22nd Annual Sycuan Pow-Wow, Sept. 9-11. This traditional celebration features Indian song, dance, arts and crafts, games and food. The free event is open to the public and takes place on the Sycuan Indian Reservation in El Cajon.

DRIVE IN

• During the 6th Annual Historic Highways 80 & 94 Passport through Time Road Trip on October 22, car drivers and motorcyclists embark on a fun and nostalgic ride through San Diego’s backcountry, stopping at quaint towns and unique points of interest along the way.

SPORTING GOOD TIME

• Bicyclists can test their stamina along 25- and 50-mile routes through East County’s scenic mountain terrain during the Tour de Julian on Nov. 5-6. This annual fall event attracts hundreds of riders from throughout the U.S. 

Happiness is calling in San Diego’s East County. For more information on East County and the entire San Diego region, visit the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau’s website at www.sandiego.org/eastcounty or call 619-236-1212. In San Diego, visit the International Visitor Information Center, located along the Embarcadero at the corner of West Broadway and Harbor Drive in downtown; the La Jolla Visitor Center, located at the corner of Herschel Avenue and Prospect Street in La Jolla, or the California Welcome Center (619-445-0180), located at the Viejas Outlet Center in Alpine.

Robert Arends 619-557-2834
rarends@sdcvb.org

Candice Eley 619-557-2889
celey@sdcvb.org